Continue down street. Don't look at them, and try to act normal. Don't give them any reason to think I'm not just another night shift worker headed down to the docks.
Who's my boss, at the docks?
You put your hands in your pockets and walk casually, eying the stalls on the other side of the street from them. It's a tense few minutes of trying your best to look nonchalant, bored even, but eventually, you get a good distance from them, enough to warrant a quick look over your shoulder to confirm they aren't following you. They aren't.
Your boss at the docks is one of any number of overseers; a gang if dockbosses who shout out orders to the workers, rarely by name. A welder like you isn't specialized enough to require specific leadership; plates can be welded by whoever volunteers first. Jal has a specific boss, but it's not like the guy is overly friendly with him or you. In general, you don't think any of them are going to stick their neck out for the friend of a worker.
Go look at the water through that hole in the wall. Also, listen to sounds coming from outside the room. Anything interesting going on?
The water is a good 20 feet or more down, but the building sticks out far enough from the cliff face that it's beyond the rocks near the shore, over open, deep water instead. You figure, worse comes to worse, you might be able to jump out and swim for it.
There are no sounds from around your room, at least none that are distinguishable as anything in particular. The occasional creek of metal under the force of a sea breeze, or hollow thudding of feet on a walkway up above. Sometimes there's a soft mumble of someone speaking, filtered through too many walls to be understandable, and high up and to the left, there's a rhythmic clatter of a bed rocking.
Mel has sat herself on the abandoned bed in the corner and is shrinking in on herself, body squeezing itself up tight with fear and tension. She's clasping her hands together and holding them up so they touch her forehead, blocking your view of her face. She's mumbling something, praying to one of the old gods that used to live on the mainland, and now live in the superliners. She's told you about those gods once; they seemed entirely too angry for your liking.
Lerman pops into existence.
"Yaaay."
Do this and you can't go back, not till the mission is over at least. Still want to?